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ER 600
The presbyter Benenatus tells a story about the nun Benedicta. Ps.-Valerius of Bierzo, "Life of Saint Fructuosus," ca 650/680.
A young maiden named Benedicta escapes from her parents and lives in the hermitage near the monastery of Fructuosus of Braga.
 
15. […] Et ut praefatus uir referebat: "Quia de senioribus nullus ad eam adpropinquare audebat sed ex nobis paruulis unusquisque uice sua illi litteras ostendebat et substantiam ministrabat; et ita cum multa coniuratione suggessit ut numquam illi cibus aliquis portaretur nisi quum beatissimis uir licet medium noctis reficeretur et ab eo sanctificatus illi dirigeretur." […]
 
There follows a story about the founding of the female monastery, and about  the former fiancé of Benedicta who brought her to trial before Count Argelate.
 
(ed. Díaz y Díaz 1974: 106, 108; summaries by M. Szada)
 
 
A young maiden named Benedicta escapes from her parents and lives in the hermitage near the monastery of Fructuosus of Braga.
 
15. [...] Benenatus told me, 'As none of the older monks dared to go near her, one of us younger ones took it in turn to take her letters and food. She insisted firmly that no food be brought to her until the holy man [i.e. Fructuosus] had eaten at midnight and that it should not be brought unless he had blessed it.' [...]
 
There follows a story about the founding of the female monastery, and about  the former fiancé of Benedicta who brought her to trial before Count Argelate.
 
(trans. A.T. Fear 1997: 138-139; summaries by M. Szada)

Discussion:

On the discussion on the monastic foundations of the Life of Saint Fructuosus see López Quiroga 2002.
 
For the summary of the Life see Szada, CSLA E04066.

Place of event:

Region
  • Iberian Peninsula
City
  • Cádiz

About the source:

Title: Life of Saint Fructuosus of Braga, Life of Fructuosus, Vita Fructuosi
Origin: Iberian Peninsula
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
First editor of the text of the Vita Fructuosi Prudencio de Sandoval proposed to identify its author with Valerius of Bierzo, a Galician monk known mainly from his autobiographical writings Ordo quaerimoniae, Replicatio, and Residuum. This authorship was accepted by many scholars to the 20th century, but eventually, employing internal evidence, its modern editor, M.C. Díaz y Díaz refutedit (1974: 15-20). The date of composition is not certain; M.C. Díaz y Díaz proposed the 670s.
 
We know from the correspondence of Fructuosus with Braulio that at some point (certainly from 651 onwards) he was a presbyter, but it is not mentioned in his Vita. The story about the monastery certainly predates Fructuosus`s episcopal ordination in 656, but we do not know if Fructuosus was at the time already a presbyter. We also do not know whether Fructuosus and Julian were presbyters in the same time. For further discussion on Fructuosus`s career see [155].
Edition:
Edition:
M.C. Díaz y Díaz ed., La Vida de San Fructuoso de Braga, Braga 1974
 
Translation:
A.T. Fear, Lives of the Visigothic fathers, Liverpool 1997
Bibliography:
J. López Quiroga, "Actividad monástica y acción política en Fructuoso de Braga," Hispania Sacra 54 (2002), 7-22.
M. Szada,

Categories:

Monastic or common life - Cenobitic monk
Relation with - Another presbyter
Relation with - Monk/Nun
Relation with - Woman
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER600, https://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=600
Record by: Marta Szada
last edited: 2018-07-28 00:19:08
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